We exist to behave decently in an indecent society — Becoming a Saint If you’re familiar with the work of Kurt Vonnegut, you’ll know he had a wonderful knack for crafting beauty out of very simple words. He did this not just in his books, but also when giving talks (this one is my favorite) and recounting conversations. Another source of this beauty…

Get my new philosophical biography of the Roman Emperor from Yale University Press — It’s finally here! I can now announce my latest book, a philosophical biography called Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, part of the Yale University Press Ancient Lives series. When the series editor, James Romm, contacted me I was very pleased because although there are already several excellent biographies of Marcus…

An interview with A. Pr. Matt Sharpe, ACU — Christopher Gill’s new book, Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and its Modern Significance (2023) is arguably the most important book on Stoic ethics which has been written in some time. …

What the Stoic philosopher actually said about the notorious Roman emperor — Epictetus, the great teacher, played his part in changing the leadership of Rome from the swill he had known in the Nero White House to the power and decency it knew under Marcus Aurelius. — Stockdale, Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot The Emperor Nero was, it’s fair to say…

In 1910, the French freemason Albert Lantoine created the lodge “le Portique”, in homage to the founder of Stoicism, Zeno. According to its website À l’ombre du Portique, the lodge was still active in 2012. It appears to have ceased activity since then. How was Stoicism understood and practiced by…

In Zeno’s Stoic Republic (Politeia), there are no temples, currency, or courts, and both incest and the eating of human flesh are permitted. At first glance, the city of the Stoic sages may surprise, astonish and scandalize. However, there is indeed a link between the theory of Stoicism and the…

This series of articles is my feedback on A Handbook for New Stoics, a book on the practice of Stoicism, by Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez. For one year, every week, I will experience the Stoic practices proposed by the handbook and I will share with you my weekly review…

Or: Why Stoicism opposes hatred — “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate …” Taylor Swift We live in an age of rage. Politics was long ago declared a war, and anger and mirroring “they started it” outrage is increasingly the predictable result. For many people, the candidate most willing to go lowest, fastest, and with…

And why we shouldn’t let Broicism ruin temperance practices — The Problem In the current market of various pop-interpretations of Stoicism, one that results in widespread disdain is “Broicism”. Broicism is characterized by the cherry-picking of passages from the surviving Stoic sources. Specifically, passages that reinforce a simplistic understanding of manliness, toughness, or self-reliance. Broics, for lack of a less hokey term…